Joe Louis Dudley, Sr. (born May 9, 1937) is an American businessman and hair-care entrepreneur. He is the president and chief executive officer for Dudley Products Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of hair and skin care products for the African American community.

Life and career

Dudley was born in

Aurora, North Carolina Aurora is a town in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 520 at the 2010 Census. Geography Aurora is located at (35.301476, -76.789461). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , ...

, the fifth of 11 children. When he was in the first grade, he was mistakenly labeled as being

mentally retarded Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...

because of a

speech impediment Speech disorders or speech impairments are a type of communication disorder in which normal speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute. Speech skills are ...

. He was twice held back by the time he reached the eleventh grade."Grooming for success – management of Dudley Products – Company Profile," Nation's Business, March, 1996
However, Dudley persevered in his education, eventually gaining a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

. In 1957, Dudley was living in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. He invested $10 in a Fuller Products sales kit in 1957,“Dudley Products Inc. – Hair Today,” U.S. Industry Today, Vol.5, Issue 1
and began selling hair care products door to door in African American neighborhoods. In 1960 he met Eunice Mosley, who was also selling Fuller products on a door-to-door basis. They married the following year. The Dudleys settled in Greensboro, where they opened a Fuller distributorship. When there was a shortage of Fuller products in 1969, they began manufacturing and selling their own line under the Dudley Products label. Unlike many hair and skin care providers, Dudley chose to market his product line directly to salons rather than to retailers. At the request of company founder S.B. Fuller, Dudley moved to Chicago, Illinois, and took over Fuller Products in 1976. They consolidated the company with their operations in 1980, keeping the Dudley Products brand name. Dudley moved the company back to Greensboro in 1984. As of December 2003, with annual revenues of $30 million, the company offers 400 hair and skin care products. It also operates the Dudley Cosmetology University, with locations in North Carolina and two schools in

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. Dudley and his company were featured in

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

's 2009 documentary ''

Good Hair ''Good Hair'' is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Jeff Stilson and produced by Chris Rock Productions and HBO Films, starring and narrated by comedian Chris Rock. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009, ''Go ...

''; the company is one of only a handful of African-American-owned companies manufacturing hair products for the African-American community.Schuker, Lauren A. E. (January 23, 2009)
"A Comic's 'Good Hair' Day"
''The Wall Street Journal''.

References

External links

on dudleyq.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, Joe 1939 births Living people People from Beaufort County, North Carolina Businesspeople from Greensboro, North Carolina North Carolina A&T State University alumni